This Cherry Berry Chia Seed Jam is a simple way to enjoy homemade fruit jam without the gelatin. You just need fruit and chia seeds!

I’ve been itching for chia seed week to start, pretty much since the Tropical Chia Parfait from a hot minute ago. Because if Chia Pets were the entertainment of childhood, then the ultra-absorbent ability for chia seeds to thicken anything is the entertainment of present day Sarah. Oh and also sprouting chia seeds. Coming home from work and seeing a new micro-forest of chia babies. That too. I’m not difficult to entertain.
So unsurprisingly, this Cherry Berry Chia Jam made for one party-starting Saturday evening. I took two routes, a cooked route and a raw route. The raw route actually came first because, well, that’s less steps between now and jam. But I was curious how a cooked fruit jam would compare. And they actually were pretty different in taste.
The raw tasted just like strawberries + cherries, fresh and fruity with an insy bit of sour. I ran the fruit through a food processor for the raw version, which made for a less chunky jam. The google machine tells me that this makes it a jelly. Whatever.
The cooked jam had a deeper, sweeter flavor, closer to the flavors you might get in a baked fruit pie. Cooking also broke down the fruits to where they were just mushy enough to not need a run through the food processor and just chunky enough to have some tasty fruit chunks intact.
The winner? Cooked. But it’s still good raw if you don’t have time or are on the raw diet or don’t have electricity or whatever. PS: Does anyone know how to pit cherries? In a manner that doesn’t leave your countertop looking like a cherry murder crime scene?
Ingredients
- ½ cup pitted and halved cherries
- ½ cup hulled and roughly chopped strawberries
- 1 Tbsp honey or sugar to taste
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp chia seeds
Instructions
Cooked Fruit Chia Jam
- Cook: Mix together fruit and honey then cook in a small stockpot over medium heat for about 10 minutes, mashing with a fork or spoon to break down the fruits into a juicy mush.
- Thicken: Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, then mix in lemon juice and chia seeds. Set in fridge and allow the mixture to thicken.
Raw Fruit Chia Jam
- Blend: Place fruit and honey in a food processor and pulse until you reach a smooth (but still with a few chunks of fruit) consistency.
- Thicken: Mix in lemon juice and chia seeds. Set in fridge and allow the mixture to thicken.
Mama Bond says
Bring your mama some of this for Christmas.
Sarah says
How’s about I just make my Mama some for Christmas?
Find My Rice says
This looks great! Would definitely have to make some of these! 😀
– Regine
Sarah says
Thanks Regine! Let me know how it goes 🙂
GW says
This is so easy and is pretty sweet with just one TBL spoon of sugar.
Ginn says
Have you tried to use a cherry pitter??
Sarah says
Ya know, I haven’t. Have you? Is it worth investing in? Pitting them by hand was SUCH a mess!
Susan D Mrenna says
Please do not preserve jams made with chia. They are great for fridge or freezer 🙂
https://www.thespruce.com/chia-james-not-safe-for-canning-1327440
Sarah says
That’s great to know. Thanks for sharing, Susan! 😀
Ken Reavley says
May be a dumb question but what type of cherries did you use?
Sarah says
No dumb questions! I just used sweet cherries (to give the option not to have to cook them), but you could use any kind (including frozen)
Kim says
MMMMMMMMMM : ) I did it! Yummoooooooooo
Sarah says
Happy you liked it, Kim!! 😀
Cheri says
This is great, thanks. I use a cherry pitter in a very large bowl to get out the pits in a reasonably non-messy way.
Sarah says
Love it! Think I need to invest in one, I always make a HUGE mess 😅
Carlyn Lundgren says
Hi Sarah: You have some fabulously awesome Recipes. Thank-You for sharing.
Sarah says
Thanks so much, Carlyn! 😀